PIX11 Morning News team gets licked by a lemur

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The folks at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay stop by the PIX11 Morning News to spread awareness about endangered species and the importances of preserving the natural habitats of animals. Four animal ambassadors were on hand to get the message out. The lemur gave anchor Scott Stanford a few licks.

Here's more about the animals.

Lemur

There are over 100 different types of lemurs, all found on just one island in the entire world – Madagascar.

Approximately 90% of forests have been destroyed or degraded on Madagascar – people can help primates worldwide by buying only certified, sustainably harvested wood products and avoiding tropical hardwoods such as teak, rosewood and mahogany.

Our SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund supports the work of Duke Lemur Center and lemur research and conservation in Madagascar, helping to preserve these amazing animals and their natural habitat.

Toucan

Toucans spend their lives high in the rain forest canopies of Central and South America

They are primarily frugivores and generally start their day with early morning visits to fruiting trees in their home area before making longer journeys in search of new fruit sites.

The biggest threat to toucans right now is habitat loss. As the rain forests are being cut down to make way for roads, farms, and buildings, all of the animals that live there are losing their homes.

Linne’s Two-Toed Sloth

“Yiscel” just celebrated 1st birthday on April 2nd

Named in honor of the co-founder of APPC (Panamerican Conservation Association), a facility that rescues, rehabilitates, and returns sloths as well as other naïve wildlife in Panama.

Sloths spend a majority of their day (20 hours) resting to conserve energy and draw less attention from predators

Sloth births are part of BGTB’s partnerships with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP)

The rainforest need sloths – they provide fertilizer, seed dispersal and even pollination as they slowly move from tree to tree, eating a variety of foliage including flowers and fruits.

Serval

African servals are small, slender cats with long legs, a lean body, a short tail, and a small head, yet have the largest ears of any cat.

They use their huge ears as part of its hunting strategy listening for approaching prey before pouncing on its meal.

Not considered endangered; however, like all wild animals, servals can be harmed by habitat loss, global climate change, and hunting for their beautiful fur.

Servals are important to their human neighbors because they catch rodents, which carry diseases and contaminate food supplies.